Behold! the Biltmore Estate!!! We traveled to the Biltmore, located in Asheville, North Carolina, and took a tour of the house and grounds. It is beautiful! The reason we went was, of course, to see it but the parents left for a business conference and the grandparents decided it was a good opportunity to go. So we went!
A little history of the estate: it took about 6 years to build and consisted of 125,000 acres of land, now of which only 8,000 remain. The owner, George Washington Vanderbilt, traveled the mountains of North Carolina and fell in love with the land. He called upon two of America's most renowned designers, Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmstead, to assist in the planning of the large castle. =] In 1895, the House was formally opened to the family. In 1930, it was opened to the public.
We were not allowed to take pictures inside the House, but I did manage to get a few of the grounds. Enjoy!
Beautiful!
The grandparents, it took a couple shots to get them to behave... Poppy was being naughty =D
The kiddies, we really do love each other!
This is my [Sari's] favorite picture. So majestic!
The entrance to the House.
Notice the gargoyles and the intricate stonework in these next few pics.
This is at the entrance looking up.
Standing on the portico at the rear of the house, we captured this view.
Ooo... so ominous... I tink it be purty, don't yew?
Once again, please observe the beautifully carved stonework. These masterpieces were carved out of the stone after it was placed on the building. It is amazing at what people can do, especially in the late 19th century. But we could do without the naked people... O.o For your sake and ours, they are not pictured.
Rawr.
Howdy, folks! Welcome to the barn! This section was opened to the public much later. It was in the shape of an octagon with the building pictured below protruding into the center. The barn, as a whole, consisted of the Mercantile (a shop), a blacksmith workshop, a restuarant (called the Smokehouse), a woodworking shop, and stables.
More of the barn...
Lookit! a Farmall tractor!!! There was much farming equipment displayed for all of us tourists to admire, this being one of them. =]
This is a pic of one of the stables that housed the Belgian draft horses. It's HOOGE!
Meet Bert. He is a Belgian draft horse, retired and happy. He and his buddy, Chester, were being babied by some workers.
Let me be the first to introduce you to the rare wheelbarrow goat. XD We like this position!
*cheepcheepcheep* There was a variety of chickens, a few had afros while others had "hairy" legs...
The Bass Pond.
This is a waterfall coming over the dam of the pond.
Welcome to the Gardens of the Biltmore!
This is a weeping, evergreen, something or other, tree. We forgot the name...
This is the arbor laden with grapes, which were quite good, actually... =]
Pretty green gourd...
Oooo...
Wow, what a funky blossom!
Beautiful!
The grandparents, it took a couple shots to get them to behave... Poppy was being naughty =D
The kiddies, we really do love each other!
This is my [Sari's] favorite picture. So majestic!
The entrance to the House.
Notice the gargoyles and the intricate stonework in these next few pics.
This is at the entrance looking up.
Standing on the portico at the rear of the house, we captured this view.
Ooo... so ominous... I tink it be purty, don't yew?
Once again, please observe the beautifully carved stonework. These masterpieces were carved out of the stone after it was placed on the building. It is amazing at what people can do, especially in the late 19th century. But we could do without the naked people... O.o For your sake and ours, they are not pictured.
Rawr.
Howdy, folks! Welcome to the barn! This section was opened to the public much later. It was in the shape of an octagon with the building pictured below protruding into the center. The barn, as a whole, consisted of the Mercantile (a shop), a blacksmith workshop, a restuarant (called the Smokehouse), a woodworking shop, and stables.
More of the barn...
Lookit! a Farmall tractor!!! There was much farming equipment displayed for all of us tourists to admire, this being one of them. =]
This is a pic of one of the stables that housed the Belgian draft horses. It's HOOGE!
Meet Bert. He is a Belgian draft horse, retired and happy. He and his buddy, Chester, were being babied by some workers.
Let me be the first to introduce you to the rare wheelbarrow goat. XD We like this position!
*cheepcheepcheep* There was a variety of chickens, a few had afros while others had "hairy" legs...
The Bass Pond.
This is a waterfall coming over the dam of the pond.Welcome to the Gardens of the Biltmore!
This is a weeping, evergreen, something or other, tree. We forgot the name...
This is the arbor laden with grapes, which were quite good, actually... =]
Oooo...
Wow, what a funky blossom!
1 comment:
LOL! Those were so cute! I love icanhascheezburger! The crazy cat is my favorite! Too funny! =D
Momo
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